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The Rochester Red Wings won't play a real game until April 3, but they improved greatly thanks to a flurry of moves Monday.

The Triple-A club received several key players from the Minnesota Twins as spring training begins its final week. The Twins optioned right-handed pitchers Ryan Pressly and Michael Tonkin and catcher Chris Herrmann. They also reassigned six players to minor-league camp: left-handers Matt Hoffman and Aaron Thompson, right-hander Deolis Guerra, outfielder Wilkin Ramirez and infielders Doug Bernier and Deibinson Romero.

"We are ready and eager for the season to begin," Bernier said via text message. "I'm excited to continue the success we had last year with a group of guys that love to play hard. There's a lot of talent coming to Rochester in hopes of putting together a strong season as well as be ready to help the Twins in Minnesota."

The Twins granted right-handed pitcher Matt Guerrier his release. The former Red Wing is now a free agent.

Here's a look at the newest Red Wings:

• Pressley, 25, spent last season with the Twins and went 3-3 with a 3.87 earned-run average in 49 appearances. He has a career 3.86 ERA in five minor-league seasons.

• Tonkin, 24, started last season at Double-A and recorded 14 saves for the Wings before joining the Twins. The 6-foot-7 pitcher posted a 0.79 ERA in nine appearances for Minnesota and likely will be Rochester's bullpen closer. He was optioned despite not allowing a run in seven appearances for the Twins in spring training.

• Herrmann, 26, is a left-handed hitter who also plays outfield. He split last year between Rochester (.227, 2 home runs, 22 RBI) and Minnesota (.204-4-18). Herrmann hit .412 this spring but was beaten out for the backup catcher slot by 2013 Red Wing Josmil Pinto, who is considered a more promising hitter.

• Hoffman, 25, has pitched for Triple-A Toledo the past three seasons. He went 4-3 with a 2.06 ERA out of the bullpen last season.

• Thompson, 27, appeared in 31 games for Rochester last year and proved to be a key member of an improved bullpen. He went 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA after dominating at Double-A New Britain.

• Guerra, 24, pitched for the Wings in 2010 and 2012 but missed last season after doctors discovered a blood clot in his right shoulder during the World Baseball Classic. The lone holdover from the trade that sent two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets six years ago, Guerra has a career 4.87 ERA.

• Ramirez, 28, hit 15 home runs in 98 games for the Wings two years ago and spent most of last year with the Twins and on the disabled list.

• Bernier, 33, played in 92 games for the Wings last season before joining the Twins. He hit .295 with Rochester and was the International League's best bunter and defensive shortstop. Manager Gene Glynn called Bernier "the unsung hero" on his playoff team.

• Romero, 27, hit .266 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 86 games for the Wings after being promoted from Double-A New Britain. He was Rochester's starting third baseman for much of the season.

"You know the roster is going to flip consistently throughout the season," Wings general manager Dan Mason said. "But you have to like the talent that's on our team if we opened the season right now. And there's a chance we're going to get better by April 3."

The Twins have 29 players in camp: 13 pitchers, 3 catchers, 7 infielders and 6 outfielders. The major-league limit is 25. One player who will be sent down is catcher Dan Rohlfing, perhaps to Double-A now that Herrmann has rejoined the Wings.

Three big questions remain:

• Will former Wings shortstop Jason Bartlett declare himself a free agent on Sunday if he is not on the 25-man roster?

Bartlett, who is married to the former Kelly Chevez of East Rochester, is hitting 3-for-34 this spring after sitting out all of last season.

• Who will win the right to be Joe Mauer's backup at first base? Chris Colabello, the 2013 International League MVP and Red Wings fan favorite, has had the better spring than Chris Parmelee (.333 to .200). But Parmelee is out of options and is a former Twins first-round draft pick.

• What's next for former Wing Scott Diamond? The left-hander was beaten out by Kyle Gibson and Samuel Deduno for the final spots in the Twins' starting rotation and is out of options. There's speculation he will be traded or put on waivers. The Twins also could keep him as a reliever.